JPWO2019146382A1 - Side airbag device and vehicle seat equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side airbag device capable of quickly and appropriately restraining an occupant at an initial stage of airbag deployment, and a vehicle seat provided with the side airbag device. An airbag has a first chamber that expands toward the front of a side support portion of a seat; and a second chamber that starts deployment prior to the first chamber inside the first chamber in the vehicle width direction; It is arranged in the first chamber and includes a gas guide that guides the expansion gas released from the inflator to the second chamber. At the boundary between the first chamber and the second chamber, an internal vent hole is formed in which the expanded gas guided by the gas guide flows into the second chamber. The second chamber includes an upper and lower regions and an intermediate region located between the upper and lower regions. Then, at least one of the upper region and the lower region is configured to project forward from the intermediate region and expand. [Selection diagram] Fig. 5

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat provided with a side airbag device.

It is well known that vehicles are equipped with one or more airbags to protect occupants in the event of a vehicle accident. Airbags are, for example, so-called driver airbags that inflate from near the center of the steering wheel of an automobile to protect the driver, and deploy downward inside the window of the automobile to cause lateral impact or rollover of the vehicle. There are various forms such as a curtain airbag that protects the occupant in the event of a overturn accident, and a side airbag that is deployed between the occupant and the side panel to protect the occupant in the event of a lateral impact of the vehicle. The present invention relates to a side airbag device and a vehicle seat provided with the side airbag device.

The side airbag device described in Patent Document 1 below includes a main airbag and an auxiliary airbag. Then, by inflating and deploying the auxiliary airbag prior to the main airbag, the occupants are restrained at an early stage. In addition to the invention described in Patent Document 1, a side airbag device including an auxiliary airbag in addition to the main airbag has been proposed. In such a side airbag device, there is a strong demand for compactness of the device because there are many restrictions on the installation area.
In addition, appropriate occupant protection performance is required by improving the deployment speed, deployment behavior, and stabilizing the deployment shape.

JP-A-2009-023494

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device capable of quickly and appropriately restraining an occupant, and a vehicle seat equipped with the side airbag device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device that contributes to the compactification of the device and a vehicle seat equipped with the side airbag device.

Hereinafter, in the specification, the scope of claims, and the drawings, the direction shall be defined as follows. When the occupant sits in a normal sitting posture so that most of the occupant's back is in contact with the seat back, the direction in which the occupant's torso faces is defined as "front" and the opposite direction is defined as "rear". Further, in the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, the right-hand direction of the occupant is "right" and the left-hand direction is "left". In this left-right direction, the area on the occupant side of the side frame of the seat is defined as "inside", and the area opposite to the occupant when viewed from the side frame is indicated as "outside".

The vehicle seat according to the present invention that achieves the above object forms a seat cushion forming a seat surface and a backrest, and bulges in the vehicle traveling direction (vehicle front) at the vehicle width direction side (end). It is applied to a vehicle seat having a seat back having a side support portion. The vehicle seat is arranged inside the side support portion and extends along the vehicle traveling direction when the horizontal cross section is viewed from above; by being arranged inside the side support portion and expanding and expanding. It includes an airbag that restrains an occupant and a side airbag device that is provided on the outer side of the side wall of the frame in the vehicle width direction and includes an inflator that supplies expansion gas to the airbag.
Here, the airbag has a first chamber that expands toward the front of the side support portion; and a second chamber that starts deployment prior to the first chamber inside the first chamber in the vehicle width direction; It is provided with a gas guide that is arranged in the first chamber and guides the expansion gas released from the inflator to the second chamber. At the boundary between the first chamber and the second chamber, an internal vent hole is formed in which the expanded gas guided by the gas guide flows into the second chamber.
The second chamber includes an upper and lower regions and an intermediate region located between the upper and lower regions. Then, at least one of the upper region and the lower region is configured to project forward from the intermediate region and expand.

Here, the "upper region" can be provided, for example, to include a predetermined location between the upper arm and the head of the AM50 dummy or between the chest and the head, and both the pre-push function and the occupant protection function. Can be provided. Preferably, it is provided so as to include a predetermined portion that protects the head of the AM50 dummy. Further, the "lower region" can be provided so as to include, for example, a predetermined portion that protects the waist portion of the AM50 dummy.

According to the present invention having the above configuration, the second chamber is deployed inside the side support portion at the initial stage of operation of the airbag device, and the occupant can be quickly restrained from moving outward in the vehicle width direction. It will be possible.
In addition, since the side support portion protrudes and deforms toward the occupant side and pushes the occupant inward in the vehicle width direction, the generation of a force that pushes the occupant diagonally forward from the back direction is avoided or minimized. It can be suppressed to the limit, and it is possible to avoid the movement of the occupant in the direction of pulling out the seat belt. That is, it is possible to suppress the harmfulness to the occupant and maximize the restraint performance.

Both the upper region and the lower region can be configured to project and deploy in front of the vehicle with respect to the intermediate region. For example, the second chamber may have a U-shape or a C-shape in which the intermediate region is recessed rearward when viewed from the occupant side. At this time, since the upper region of the second chamber is located near the head of the occupant, the head where injury is likely to occur can be quickly restrained. Further, since the lower region is located near the waist of the occupant, the occupant restraint performance at the initial stage at the time of an accident is improved by pushing the waist near the center of gravity of the human body.

The internal vent hole is formed at least in the upper region and the lower region of the second chamber, and more preferably in the intermediate region. With such a configuration, the flow of the expanding gas from the second chamber to the first chamber becomes smooth.

The upper region and the front end portion of the lower region of the second chamber can be configured to substantially coincide with the position of the front end portion of the first chamber. In this case, there is an advantage that the deployment shape and deployment behavior of the entire airbag including the first chamber and the second chamber are stable.

Further, the upper region and the front end portion of the lower region of the second chamber can be configured to project forward from the front end portion of the first chamber. In this case, in the initial stage of deployment of the airbag, the second chamber can reliably restrain the occupant's head and waist in a wide range.

Further, the front end portion of the first chamber may be configured to project forward from the front end portions of the upper region and the lower region of the second chamber. In this case, the capacity of the second chamber is reduced, and the rapid deployment of the first chamber can be promoted.

The second chamber can be made by stacking two panels having the same shape and sewing the periphery thereof. In this case, the formation of the upper region and the lower region can be achieved with a simple structure. That is, the second chamber can be easily produced by using two panels in which each upper region and lower region are preformed. Further, by interposing a baffle plate extending in the vertical direction at the front edges of these two panels, the width (thickness) of the second chamber can be increased, and a vent hole for exhaust can be easily provided in the baffle plate. Can be formed into.

The first chamber and the second chamber can be formed so that the upper end portion and the lower end portion substantially coincide with each other in the vertical direction. With such a shape and configuration, there is an advantage that the overall shape of the airbag including the first chamber and the second chamber is stable.

The side airbag according to the present invention includes a type that deploys to the door side (outside) of the seat and a type that deploys to the vehicle center side of the seat. The type of side airbag that deploys on the vehicle center side of the seat is referred to as, for example, a far side airbag, a front center airbag, a rear center airbag, or the like.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view mainly showing an external shape of the vehicle seat used for the vehicle seat according to the present invention, and the illustration of the airbag unit is omitted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure (seat frame) that functions as a frame of the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 1, and the illustration of the airbag unit is omitted. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the vehicle seat according to the present invention, showing a state in which the airbag unit is housed as observed from the outside in the vehicle width direction. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the vehicle seat according to the present invention, and corresponds to a part of the cross section in the A0-A0 direction of FIG. FIG. 5A is a schematic side view of the vehicle seat according to the present invention, showing a state in which the airbag is deployed is observed from the outside (opposite side of the occupant) in the vehicle width direction. FIG. 5B is a front view showing the deployed state of the airbag, and is a view seen from the front to the rear in the traveling direction. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views showing the structure of the airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 6A is the A1-A1 direction of FIG. 5A and FIG. The A2 direction and (C) correspond to the cross sections in the A3-A3 direction of FIG. 5 (A), respectively. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state before compression of the airbag used in the side airbag device according to the present invention, in which (A) is viewed from the inside (occupant side) and (B) is the outside (B). The view from the other side of the occupant) is shown. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a panel structure constituting a second chamber of the airbag used in the side airbag device according to the present invention. 9 (A) and 9 (B) are explanatory views showing a panel structure constituting the first chamber of the airbag used in the side airbag device according to the present invention. 10A and 10B are explanatory views (cross-sectional views) showing the deployed state of the airbag device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 10A shows a state in the early stage of deployment and FIG. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a modified example of the present invention.

A vehicle seat equipped with a side airbag device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. When the occupant sits in a normal sitting posture so that most of the occupant's back comes into contact with the seat back, the direction in which the occupant's torso faces is defined as "front" and the opposite direction is defined as "rear". To do. Further, in the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, the right-hand direction of the occupant is "right" and the left-hand direction is "left". In this left-right direction, the area on the occupant side of the side frame of the seat is defined as "inside", and the area opposite to the occupant when viewed from the side frame is indicated as "outside".

FIG. 1 is a perspective view mainly showing an external shape of the vehicle seat used for the vehicle seat according to the present invention, and the illustration of the airbag device (20) is omitted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure (seat frame) that functions as a frame of the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 1, and the illustration of the airbag device (20) is omitted here as well. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the vehicle seat according to the present invention, in which a state in which the airbag device 20 is housed on the side surface (near side) of the vehicle seat near the door is observed from the outside in the vehicle width direction. Shown.

The present invention is a vehicle seat including a vehicle seat and a side airbag device (20) housed in the seat. When viewed as a part, the vehicle seat according to the present embodiment includes a seat cushion 2 at a portion where an occupant sits; a seat back 1 forming a backrest, and an upper end of the seat back 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is composed of a headrest 3 connected to the headrest 3.

A seat back frame 1f forming the skeleton of the seat is provided inside the seat back 1, and a pad made of a urethane foam material or the like is provided on the surface and the periphery thereof, and the surface of the pad is a skin 14 such as leather or fabric. Covered by. A seating frame 2f is arranged on the bottom side of the seat cushion 2, a pad made of urethane foam material or the like is provided on the upper surface and the periphery thereof, and the surface of the pad is covered with a skin 14 (FIG. 4) such as leather or fabric. It has been. The seating frame 2f and the seat back frame 1f are connected via a reclining mechanism 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seat back frame 1f connects a side frame 10 which is arranged apart from each other on the left and right and extends in the vertical direction, an upper frame which connects the upper end portion of the side frame 10, and a lower end portion. It is configured in a frame shape with a lower frame. The headrest 3 is configured by providing a cushion member on the outside of the headrest frame.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the vehicle seat according to the present invention, and corresponds to a part of the cross section in the A0-A0 direction of FIG. The side frame 10 is formed of resin or metal and may have an L-shaped cross-sectional shape or a U-shaped cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. The side frame 10 includes a frame side wall portion 10a extending along the vehicle traveling direction when the horizontal cross section is viewed from above. Then, the airbag module (side airbag device) 20 is fixed to the outside of the frame side wall portion 10a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the seat back 1 includes a side support portion 12 that bulges in the vehicle traveling direction (front of the vehicle) on the side portion (end portion) in the vehicle width direction. Inside the side support portion 12, the side airbag device 20 is housed in a gap in which the urethane pad 16 is not arranged. The side airbag device 20 includes an airbag (34,36) that restrains an occupant by expanding and deploying; and an inflator 30 that supplies an expansion gas to the airbag (34,36).

The skin 14 of the seat back 1 is connected by sewing with the seams 18, 22, and 24 woven inside. The seam 18 in front of the skin 14 is designed to be cleaved when the airbag is deployed.
Further, the side support portion 12 is formed with a starting point region 26 which is a starting point when the side support portion 12 is bent toward the occupant side due to expansion of the second chamber 36 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The starting point region 26 may be any or a combination of a notch, a recess, and a thin-walled region. The starting point region 26 may be formed only in the urethane 16 portion inside the side support portion 12. It is also possible to omit the starting point region 26.

The airbags (34, 36) are covered by a flexible cover 20a made of fabric. In the relationship between the first chamber 34 and the second chamber 36, the airbags (34, 36) are folded or rolled in a bellows shape (“folding” includes rolling), and an appropriate compression method is adopted as appropriate. can do. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 25 indicates a door trim. Although not shown in detail, in the folded and stowed state of the airbag, the second chamber and the first chamber are overlapped in a flat state so as to maintain the positional relationship at the time of expansion and deployment. And are folded together. When the second chamber and the first chamber are individually folded, the folded second chamber portion is located closer to the inflator than the folded first chamber portion, or is folded. It may be arranged between the first chamber portion and the side frame. That is, the folded second chamber may be arranged on the occupant side with respect to the folded first chamber.

FIG. 5A is a schematic side view of the vehicle seat according to the present invention, showing a state in which the airbags (34, 36) are deployed and observed from the outside (opposite side to the occupant) in the vehicle width direction. .. FIG. 5B is a front view showing the deployed state of the airbags (34, 36), and shows a state seen from the front of the vehicle. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views showing the structure of the airbag device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 6A is the A1-A1 direction of FIG. 5A, and FIG. 6B is the A2-A2 direction of FIG. 5A. (C) corresponds to each of the cross sections in the A3-A3 direction of FIG. 5 (A). 7A and 7B are plan views showing the state of the airbags (34, 36) before compression, in which (A) is viewed from the inside and (B) is viewed from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the airbags (34, 36) have a first chamber that expands toward the front of the side support portion 12 of the vehicle seat; the first chamber 34 inside the first chamber 34 in the vehicle width direction. A second chamber 36 that initiates deployment prior to the chamber 34; a gas guide that is located in the first chamber 34 and guides the expansion gas released from the inflator 30 to the second chamber 36 via an internal vent hole 62. It has 60 and.

The first chamber 34 is composed of a front chamber 34F having a relatively small capacity located in the front and a rear chamber 34R having a relatively large capacity located in the rear. As shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 6 (B), the front chamber 34F and the rear chamber 34R communicate with each other by the internal vents V34c and V34d, and the expansion gas flows from the rear chamber 34R to the front chamber 34F. It has become like. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, exhaust vents V34a and V34b for exhausting gas to the outside are provided at the front end portion of the front chamber 34F.

As shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 6 (A) and 6 (B), expansion gas is introduced from the second chamber 36 to the first chamber in the partition portion (boundary portion) between the first chamber 34 and the second chamber 36. Internal vent holes V1 and V2 that flow into 34 are provided. Further, an exhaust vent V34 (V34a, V34b) for exhausting gas to the outside is formed at the front end portion of the first chamber 34.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second chamber 36 can be divided into an upper region 36U and a lower region 36L and an intermediate region 36M located between the upper region 36U and the lower region 36L. Here, at least one of the upper region 36U and the lower region 36L is configured to project forward from the intermediate region 36M and deploy. In the embodiment, both the upper region 36U and the lower region 36L are configured to project forward from the intermediate region 36M and expand, but depending on the shape of the first chamber 34 and the like, either It is also possible to take a form in which only one of them protrudes.

In the present embodiment, the second chamber 36 may have a U-shape or a C-shape in which the intermediate region is recessed rearward when viewed from the occupant side. When the airbag is deployed, the upper region 36U of the second chamber 36 is located near the occupant's head, and the injured head can be quickly restrained. Further, the lower region 36L is located near the waist of the occupant, and by pushing the waist near the center of gravity of the human body, the occupant restraint performance at the initial stage at the time of an accident is improved.

The front ends of the upper region 36U and the lower region 36L of the second chamber 36 are formed so as to substantially coincide with the positions of the front end portions of the first chamber 34. In this case, there is an advantage that the airbag including the first chamber 34 and the second chamber 36 has an integrated structure and the entire deployed shape is stable.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the front end portions of the upper region 36U and the lower region 36L of the second chamber 36 may be configured to protrude forward from the front end portion of the first chamber 34. In this case, in the initial stage of deployment of the airbag, the second chamber 36 can reliably restrain the occupant's head and waist in a wide range.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11B, the front end portion of the first chamber 34 may project forward from the front end portions of the upper region 36U and the lower region 36L of the second chamber 36. In this case, the capacity of the second chamber 36 becomes relatively small, and the gas in the second chamber 36 quickly flows into the first chamber 34, which can promote the rapid deployment of the first chamber 34.

Referring to FIG. 7 again, the first chamber 34 and the second chamber 36 are formed so that the upper end portion and the lower end portion substantially coincide with each other in the vertical direction. With such a shape and configuration, there is an advantage that the overall shape and deployment behavior of the airbag including the first chamber 34 and the second chamber 36 are stable.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a panel structure constituting the second chamber 36. The second chamber 36 can be manufactured by stacking two panels 136a and 136b having the same shape and sewing the periphery thereof. As described above, the second chamber 36 can be easily manufactured by using the two panels in which the upper region 36U and the lower region 36L are preformed. At the front edges of these two panels 136a and 136b. A baffle plate 136c extending in the vertical direction is interposed to secure the width (thickness) of the second chamber 36.

In the second chamber 36, two vent openings V1a and V2a are formed in the outer panel 136b connected to the first chamber 34. The vent opening V1a is formed at a position corresponding to the lower region 36L. Further, the vent opening V2a is formed at a position corresponding to the intermediate region 36M. By arranging the vent openings V1a and V2a in a dispersed manner in this way, the flow of the expanding gas from the second chamber 36 to the first chamber 34 becomes smooth.

9 (A) and 9 (B) are explanatory views showing a panel structure constituting the first chamber 34. The first chamber 34 can be manufactured by stacking two panels 134a and 134b having the same shape and sewing the periphery thereof. Two vent openings V1b and V2b are formed in the inner panel 134a connected to the second chamber 36. Each of these openings corresponds to the vent openings V1a and V2a (see FIG. 8) of the second chamber 36, and the internal vents V1 and V2 (FIG. 5 (A)) are sewn around the overlapped openings. ) Is formed.

A baffle plate 134c extending in the vertical direction is connected to the portion indicated by the broken line of the two panels 136a and 136b. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B) and 6 (B) and 6 (C), the first chamber 34 is divided into the front chamber 34F and the rear chamber 34R.

10A and 10B are explanatory views (cross-sectional views) showing the deployed state of the airbag device according to the present invention, in which (A) shows the state at the initial stage of deployment and (B) shows the state at the late stage of deployment. As shown in FIG. 10A, in the present invention having the above configuration, the second chamber 36 is deployed inside the side support portion 12 at the initial stage of operation of the airbag device 20, and the seat skin 14 is sewn. While tearing from the portion 18, the tip end side of the side support portion 12 is deformed so as to bend or protrude inward of the vehicle starting from the region 26, and restrains the occupant to push inward in the vehicle width direction.

Due to the deployment of the second chamber 36, the front portion of the side support portion 12 protrudes and deforms toward the occupant side, so that it is possible to avoid or minimize the generation of a force that pushes the occupant diagonally forward from the back direction. This makes it possible to avoid the movement of the occupant in the direction of pulling out the seat belt. That is, it is possible to suppress the harmfulness to the occupant and maximize the restraint performance.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the airbags (34, 36) are further expanded, the first chamber 34 is fully expanded toward the front of the vehicle to protect the occupants in the event of a collision.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 (B) and 7 (A), the airbag device has an upper region 36U and a lower region 36L in which the second chamber 36 projects forward. It is possible to restrain the occupant's head and waist at an early stage after starting the operation. Further, there is an advantage that the overall shape of the airbag can be secured at the initial stage of deployment while minimizing the capacity increase of the second chamber 36.

Although the present invention has been described in the context of the exemplary embodiments described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate many equivalent modifications and variations in the present disclosure. Therefore, it is considered that the above exemplary embodiments of the present invention are exemplary but not limiting. Various changes can be made to the described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in the embodiment for carrying out the invention, the near-side side airbag was mainly described, but the far-side airbag (the surface of the vehicle seat far from the vehicle door), the ultra-small vehicle such as small mobility, etc. It can also be used for single-seat vehicles (vehicles that include a part with only one seat in a row regardless of the presence or absence of a door).

Claims (12)

In a vehicle seat having a seat cushion forming a seat surface and a seat back forming a backrest and having a side support portion bulging in the vehicle traveling direction (front of the vehicle) at a side portion (end portion) in the vehicle width direction.
With the frame side wall portion that is arranged inside the side support portion and extends along the vehicle traveling direction when the horizontal cross section is viewed from above;
It is provided with an airbag arranged inside the side support portion and restraining an occupant by expanding and deploying, and an inflator provided outside the side wall portion of the frame in the vehicle width direction to supply expansion gas to the airbag. Equipped with a side airbag device
The airbag has a first chamber that expands toward the front of the side support portion; and a second chamber that starts deployment prior to the first chamber inside the first chamber in the vehicle width direction; the first chamber. It is provided with a gas guide that is arranged in the chamber and guides the expansion gas released from the inflator to the second chamber.
At the boundary between the first chamber and the second chamber, an internal vent hole through which the expanded gas guided by the gas guide flows into the second chamber is formed.
The second chamber includes an upper and lower regions and an intermediate region located between the upper and lower regions.
A vehicle seat characterized in that at least one of the upper region and the lower region is configured to project forward from the intermediate region and expand. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein both the upper region and the lower region are configured to project forward from the intermediate region and expand. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the second chamber expands in a U-shape or a C-shape in which the intermediate region is recessed rearward when viewed from the occupant side. The vehicle seat according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the upper region of the second chamber is located near the occupant's head and the lower region is located near the occupant's waist in the deployed state. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein a plurality of internal vent holes are formed. The vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the upper region and the front end portion of the lower region of the second chamber project forward from the front end portion of the first chamber. Sheet for. The vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the front end portion of the first chamber projects forward from the front end portion of the upper region and the lower region of the second chamber. Sheet for. The first chamber is characterized in that it is divided into a front chamber and a rear chamber by superimposing two panels having the same shape and sewing the periphery through a baffle plate extending in the intermediate direction in the intermediate portion. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The vehicle use according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the upper region and the front end portion of the lower region of the second chamber substantially coincide with the position of the front end portion of the first chamber. Sheet. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the second chamber is produced by stacking two panels having the same shape and sewing the periphery thereof. The vehicle use according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first chamber and the second chamber are formed so that the upper end portion and the lower end portion substantially coincide with each other in the vertical direction. Sheet. A side airbag device mounted on a vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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